A Weekly Menu of Fast and Healthy Meals

April 21st Menu

by ksaintjohn

Is it almost Friday?? This week seemed so long for some reason….oh wait …State Testing. The two longest weeks of the school year. At least one of them is almost over. To celebrate the start of the week, I made a beer braised chicken stew. Similar to the veal stew the week before, however the chicken got a lot more tender and I liked the flavor the beer gave the dish. Plus….it had beer in it and everything is better with beer!

Next I made a spinach ziti. I love ricotta cheese, maybe more than any other kind of cheese. Someday I will learn to make my own. I actually made the ziti the night before since it was a leftover night. There was nothing on TV and I figured it would be one less thing to do the next day. When it was time to make dinner, all I had to do was pre-heat the oven, sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake for 30 minutes or so. Placing the spinach in the colander is a trick I am sure someone else thought of, but I found it pretty creative on my part. I hate using ten different pots and pans just to wilt a little spinach. Instead, place it in the colander you will drain the pasta in. When you pour the hot water and pasta into the colander, it wilts the spinach! No sauteing necessary.

Tonight I made Cilantro and Lime Grilled Shrimp. Ok I am not going to lie. I forgot to get a lime. I used lemon instead. It happens. It was still yummy and light and everything a grilled shrimp dish should be. If you have leftover shrimp for some reason (i.e. your husband is at some silly work function and doesn’t get home for dinner), you can always use the cooked shrimp in the Quick Fix Quesadilla recipe. I hate re-heated shrimp so this is a great way to use it and not have it go to waste.